The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC), Mr Chiedu Ugbo, says the new Lafia Transmission Substation will become Nigeria’s transmission hub with back feed to Abuja.
The NDPHC’s Head, Communication and Public Relations, Mr Emmanuel Ojor, who said this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja explained that Ugbo said this at the substation in Lafia.
Ugbo said the facility was expected to boost electricity supply to at least one million households and businesses, and also improve the wellbeing of Nigerians in Nasarawa State.
“The new 2X150 Mega Volt Ampree (MVA) and 2x60MVA 330/132/33 Kilo Volt (KV) transmission substation built by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari, recently.”
He explained that before the substation was built, Lafia was served by a single 70 Km distribution line from Akwanga.
He added that with a lot of connections on the way, the power that eventually got to Lafia was very dim.
“So, there was no useful electricity in Lafia and its environs,” he said.
He said that the three-in-one project took five years to build.
“We expect the project to improve the well-being of every resident of Lafia and entire Nasarawa State and improve economic activities and creation of jobs.
“Also, because of the big nature of the project, we expect it to become the transmission hub in the country.
“TCN is already working on the connection. A 330KV connection from here to Abuja, to back feed Abuja,” he said.
Ugbo maintained that NDPHC decided to build the substation essentially to step down electricity from the high voltage transmission line to a lower voltage level.
“Where the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) can now draw electricity and serve close to one million households and businesses in the state.
“It will thus help boost economic activities in the state, with positive knock-on effects on employment and socio-economic uplift of the residents of the state,” he said.
On his part, the Executive Director, Networks, NDPHC, Mr Ifeoluwa Oyedele, said that though the company was primarily a power generation, it had executed intervention projects in transmission and distribution to ensure improved power supply to Nigerians.
“In the last 15 years, NDPHC has built 10 power stations and that is our main focus, however, we do realise that when you generate power it has to get to the consumers.
“That is why we have been intervening in constructing transmission substations, injection substations and so on.
“This is because no organisation can do what we do with the speed that we do it, with the quality that we do and at the cost that we do it.
”We are arguably the largest power company in Africa,” he said.
